Chapter 25

The subordinate, startled, did not resist, cowering in a corner. Kenny knelt on the floor, watching the old man anxiously. He shouted, "My Lord, wake up, what's happening to you?" He checked the old man's breath, realizing it was weak. 

Panicked, he lifted the old man's arms to his shoulders, attempting to lift him. At that moment, Ethan, who had followed, burst in, demanding, "What are you trying to do?"

Realizing the urgency, Kenny, impatiently said, "No time to explain now, help me move him. Take the Lord, take this old man to the temple for treatment, we'll sort out the rest later."

Indeed, saving the old man's life was paramount. Ethan immediately assisted, helping Kenny carry the old man out, while he dragged the subordinate out behind them.

The temple exuded a solemn atmosphere. Liam, Gabriel, and other elders stood outside the closed main hall, their faces grim and silent. After a tense wait, the main doors swung open, revealing High Priest Osha. His already pale face was now devoid of color, his eyes empty, as though he had long been dead.

Osha surveyed the assembly, his expression unreadable. Yet, each person he glanced at felt an instinctual urge to step back. "The ancient god Nykathus is no more. I must immediately go to the realm of the gods to plead for forgiveness. The medical priests will continue to investigate his cause of death. Until my return, Lawrence City is to be sealed. No one may enter or leave without Liam's consent."

With these words, Osha slowly retreated into the main hall, closing the doors behind him. In the last fleeting moment through the crack, his long, narrow face seemed to portend an ominous future.

Rumors spread rapidly throughout the city, with people in the streets and alleys discussing the potential consequences. Would the gods be wrathful and punish the entire city? No one could say for certain if the sun would rise as usual the next day. The city's closure prevented people from hunting or gathering outside, leading to crowded taverns. Fueled by stress and anger, conflicts erupted, often escalating into violence. Milya's clinic was overrun with patients, and Ethan lent a hand.

In the afternoon, two guards arrived on horseback looking for Ethan, as Liam required his presence urgently. Milya couldn't help but feel that they had fully accepted Ethan's role at her clinic. Whether the city needed extra hands or the barracks required assistance, they would come to him. Ethan grabbed a coat and hurried out, telling them not to wait for him for dinner; he would return later.

At the barracks, Liam, accompanied by Ethan and several other guards, interrogated Annia's captured subordinate. Heidi had already brought the results of the priests' investigation, confirming that Nykathus had indeed died from the poisoned soup found in the kitchen and the bowl.

Seated in the interrogation room, the subordinate appeared older than his years, his face weathered, skin wrinkled, eyes filled with sorrow. Clad in rough servant garb, he looked no different from Annia's other ordinary servants.

Ethan scrutinized him, trying to recall if he had seen him in the river domain, but to no avail. Even if they had crossed paths on the street, he wouldn't have recognized him. He was just an unremarkable individual. Regardless of the questions posed to him, his responses remained consistent and vague, leading one to wonder if his actions were influenced by Annia, exploiting his apparent lack of intelligence.

"So, you confess to the murder?" Liam inquired, his tone unwavering, his gaze piercing, capturing every subtle shift in the subordinate's demeanor.

"Yes, sir," he replied, his gaze distant.

"Who ordered you to do this?"

"No one, sir. I acted on my own. After all, he wasn't going to live much longer, was he?"

"Your name is Morrison? Do you have any other relatives here?"

"Yes, sir."

"Who?"

"Annia. She's my daughter."

The room was hushed, contrasting with the clamor outside. A guard arrived to report that Kenny insisted on joining the interrogation. Liam scoffed, questioning Kenny's qualifications. The guards murmured that Kenny claimed to be a witness at the scene and had volunteered for the mission to rescue the kidnapped Nykathus, feeling quite honored. Liam glanced at Ethan, who hesitated but nodded. "Regardless of his initial intent at the villa, Kenny did rush in and push away the murderer. I can attest to that."

After some consideration, Liam instructed the guards to bring Kenny in to listen, providing a side view of his reaction.

After a while, Kenny swaggered into the interrogation room, seemingly in high spirits despite his recent whereabouts being unknown. Not only was he clad in a new, expensive robe, but he also sported a beautifully decorated sword at his waist.

Upon seeing Ethan seated behind Liam, Kenny hesitated for a moment before loudly asking, "Hey, what are you doing here? Since when do mercenaries and murderers have the right to enter our leader's interrogation room?" Ethan wasn't provoked by his crude tactics. He smiled slightly at Kenny and replied just as loudly, "Yeah, I was wondering too. Since when can murderers swagger in here?"

Kenny narrowed his eyes, facing this grown-up opponent for the first time, no longer the reckless and rebellious street youth. A dangerous glint flickered in his eyes. "I heard your sister has become a slave. Why aren't you taking care of her? Who are you protecting here every day?"

"You don't need to worry about that. My sister is being well taken care of. I'm here to seek justice for my sister and Joseph," Ethan replied calmly.

"Alright," Liam raised his hand to stop their bickering. "Sit down, both of you!" His voice was low and firm. Ethan unclenched his fist, turned away, and ignored Kenny.

Kenny pulled up a chair and sat in the corner of the room, eyeing the servant who was tied up and sitting in front of Liam. He looked somewhat familiar, perhaps among Annia's many subordinates. Maybe he had seen this person before? He wasn't sure, but he had a feeling he had seen this person somewhere.

"Morrison, you said earlier that you are Annia's father?" Liam asked calmly, causing the tension in the room to instantly rise.

"Yes, sir," the man, with his shoulders slumped and a look of sorrow, appeared to have no connection to the glamorous and dazzling Annia. His answers were mumbled and emotionless.

"So, you killed for your daughter?" Liam probed further.

"No, sir, I killed for myself. He was going to die anyway, so I killed him. Yes, it was all for myself," Morrison began to repeat his words incoherently and vaguely.

Kenny furrowed his brow. He was certain that this was the scapegoat Annia had arranged, but this person claimed to be her father? Who would let someone impersonate their father and commit such a crime?

No more information could be extracted. Despite threats or reprimands, Morrison seemed like a lump of cotton, appearing dull and silly, yet his mouth remained tightly shut. Apart from insisting he wanted to kill and claiming to be Annia's father, he claimed to know nothing else.

As night fell, Liam announced the dismissal. He ordered Morrison to be re-incarcerated and exchanged a few words with Ethan before seeing them out of the camp. As Liam and the guards turned away, Ethan and Kenny stood at the camp entrance, glaring at each other.

Lawrence City had waited anxiously for over ten days, and finally, High Priest Osha returned. He appeared extremely weary yet relaxed. Osha quickly summoned a meeting and announced the lifting of the city's lockdown.

"The death of Nykathus has been deemed a personal crime, unrelated to our city of Lawrence," Osha informed Liam briefly, wiping the dust and sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. He carefully folded the handkerchief and placed it on the table, gazing at the fleeting white clouds outside the window, and slowly said, "Of course, the gods demand the apprehension of the killer. It is said that this killer has already confessed."

"The man we captured at the scene claims to be Annia's father. However, it is highly likely that he is just a tool, not the mastermind," Liam's expression grew increasingly serious as he spoke to Osha.

"I encountered a woman named Annia before leaving the realm of the gods. She claimed she was coming to visit her arrested father. She also said her father was mad, and his words were not to be trusted. She requested a doctor for her father," Liam took a deep breath. "Annia in the realm of the gods? How is that possible? She's not a priestess or—she's chosen by the gods?"

"We are all servants of the gods, aren't we?" Osha rested his chin on his hand, pondering. "You should be concerned about her next request."

"Oh? What else does she request?"

"She requests Milia as her father's doctor to treat his madness."

"That's strange. Why should we follow her orders?"

"Unfortunately, we may have to temporarily heed her wishes and observe how things unfold," Osha sighed. Liam was a good commander, calm and composed, and commanded respect among the soldiers due to his military background. However, as a tribal leader, navigating the complex network of family and elder relationships, as well as the power struggles with the temple priests and the divine power of the gods, required a keen political acumen, which either demanded exceptional talent or the influence of a family background to achieve.